Teaser Tuesday #64 – I’m With You @taylordeanbooks

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TeaserTuesdays-ADailyRhythm3Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Booksandabeat.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following: Grab your current read. Open to a random page. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

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Taylor Dean’s I’m With You will not only tug at your heartstrings, it will break your heart and put it back together again. Making the hard choices is when you really know you are alive.

I will be doing a Tag Team review and giveaway along with Laura at fuonlyknew on 3/29/12.

If I’m With You by Taylor Dean sounds like a book for you, be sure and come on by to enter. Taylor always has a lovely giveaway and we look forward to seeing you there.

Add me to Goodreads now.

MY TEASE

“I’m fine Renee. I really am. Please don’t worry about me. It takes to recover from…

“It’s been a year. We’ve all been patient with you, especially Mark. You have to do your part.”

What did they want from her? She didn’t understand. Not at all. Did they really expect her to erase the incident from her life? Why couldn’t she talk about it? Why couldn’t she remember it? Why did it bother everyone so much that she didn’t want to forget?

(page 100 in paperback)

How does a mother get over losing her child? How long does it take. I have never lost a child, so I cannot say, but I would guess it takes as long as it takes and sometimes a person never does get over it. I cannot imagine the pain and anguish of letting your child go. Trisomy 18 is real and personal for Taylor Dean and her family and I would like to thank them so much for sharing their story in the form of a novel.

GOODREADS BLURB

Can three little words irrevocably change your life?

When the doctors inform Chloe Brennan that her pregnancy is “incompatible with life,” her subsequent choices will change her path forever.

She becomes one of the quiet, unsung heroes of this world, incredibly strong, yet somehow wrongly looked upon as damaged.

Three people will pierce Chloe’s existence: her husband, a stranger, and a precious baby.

One will say goodbye, one will say hello, and one will say both at the same time.

I’m With You is a novel about selfless love and the sacredness of life.

Please note: While this book is a romance novel, it also deals with the sensitive issue of baby loss grief.

The emotions are real, and sometimes dark.

If you are sensitive to this issue, this may not be the book for you.

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I laughed and I cried when I read The Loft by Bette Lee Crosby

The Loft by Bette Lee Crosby is another heartrending, yet uplifting novel filled with southern charm. It reads as if it is a true story. I laughed and I cried, as I followed Annie’s story.

The Loft (Memory House Collection #2)

Add me to Goodreads now.

Cover:  damonza.com

MY REVIEW

The Loft by Bette Lee Crosby is Book II in The Memory House Series. I have read all of Bette’s books and her writing blows me away. Her novels read as if all is possible, if we just open our hearts. The characters are real and will tug at your heartstrings, demanding to be heard.

Ethan Allen has come a long way since I first met him as a child. Now, he has a family of his own and it is growing. Annie and Oliver, Ethan’s son, are getting married.

Ophelia had taught Annie about the memories attached to some objects and her ability to be able to connect with them…which brought her to Ethan and Oliver. Do you believe in miracles? In magic? Do you believe if we just open ourselves up to the endless possibilities, that we can all tap into something bigger than us?

The Keeper of the Scale maintains the balance of sorrow and happiness. I LOVE it. Most of the time he uses small, round river rocks to balance the scale, but sometimes there is such a huge discrepancy, he has to toss a boulder on there.

If you look hard enough in the stars at night, maybe you will see it.

the scales constellation libra

“LibraCC” by Till Credner

Geez, Bette, I am only 6% into the story and have pulled out the tissues. I blink to see the words through my tears, my throat tightens and I find myself holding my breath.

Bette Lee Crosby’s characters are so real, they can be YOUR husband, YOUR friend…She takes me from a happy place to deep sorrow and back again. The rollercoaster ride drains me, as if I am going through it too.

When you think you know what’s going to happen, Bette Lee Crosby introduces a new character, a new wrinkle. There is so much happiness, I am waiting for the inevitable. Do the scales have to balance? Good with the bad? Happy with sad?

How many times have you sat, worried, when someone is late? How often have you yelled saying, “Why didn’t you call? For all I know you were lying hurt or dead in a ditch on the side of the road?” I sit…waiting…waiting for something to happen, knowing it is coming.

Bette is not afraid to put here characters to the test. The question is…how bad will it be?

Have your ever commented on how small the world is? How things seem to connect in the oddest way?

The Loft by Bette Lee Crosby is filled with intense emotion and a story that put me through all of them. I soared with the eagles, riding high and feeling free. I sank like a rock thrown into the water, going down further and further, unable to reach the surface. On that note, I can only say, “What comes next, Bette?”

I received The Loft by Bette Lee Crosby in return for an honest and unbiased review.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos  5 Stars

ABOUT BETTE LEE CROSBY

Bette Lee CrosbyUSA Today Bestselling and Award-winning novelist Bette Lee Crosby’s books are “Well-crafted storytelling populated by memorable characters caught up in equally memorable circumstances.” – Midwest Book Review

The Seattle Post Intelligencer says Crosby’s writing is, “A quirky mix of Southern flair, serious thoughts about important things in life and madcap adventures.”

Samantha from Reader’s Favorite raves, “Crosby writes the type of book you can’t stop thinking about long after you put it down.”

“Storytelling is in my blood,” Crosby laughingly admits, “My mom was not a writer, but she was a captivating storyteller, so I find myself using bits and pieces of her voice in most everything I write.”

It is the wit and wisdom of that Southern Mama Crosby brings to her works of fiction; the result is a delightful blend of humor, mystery and romance along with a cast of quirky charters who will steal your heart away. Her work was first recognized in 2006 when she received The National League of American Pen Women Award for a then unpublished manuscript. She has since gone on to win twenty awards for her work; these include: The Royal Palm Literary Award, the FPA President’s Book Award Gold Medal, Reader’s Favorite Award Gold Medal, and the Reviewer’s Choice Award.

Crosby’s published works to date are: Blueberry Hill (2014), Previously Loved Treasures (2014), Jubilee’s Journey (2013), What Matters Most (2013), The Twelfth Child (2012), Life in the Land of IS (2012), Cracks in the Sidewalk (2011), Spare Change (2011). A Cupid inspired romance, Wishing for Wonderful, is scheduled for release in November 2014 and Book Three of The Wyattsville Series, Passing through Perfect, will be be available in January 2015.

MY REVEWS OF BETTE LEE CROSBY’S NOVELS

Passing Through Perfect

Memory House

Jubilee’s Journey

Blueberry Hill

What Matters Most

Spare Change

Cupid’s Christmas

Cracks In The Sidewalk

The Twelfth Child

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.
To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

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5 Star Review: Passing Through Perfect by Bette Lee Crosby & Giveaway

I am so happy to be able to share Bette Lee Crosby’s latest novel, Passing Through Perfect.

I love this beautiful cover.

I am a huge fan of Bette Lee’s and I am eager to continue my Wyattsville journey.

I hope you will join me.

Add Me to Goodreads now.

MY REVIEW

I would like to start with the cover. Bette Lee Crosby’s cover gives you a glimpse of the story inside. Her sweet, southern charm comes through the pages and wraps around me with loving arms. Passing Through Perfect brought forth so many emotions that I kept my tissues at my side. That is not unusual for a Bette Lee novel. With each novel in the Wyattsville series I say it is the best, but the best one is the next one.

The story includes chapters of the characters thoughts and feelings – Benjamin, Delia, Camella, Sidney and Martha’s. We get an up close and personal invitation to share their lives. The characters had me crying for them, yelling for them, wanting to protect and shelter them from all the harsh realities of life.

The story takes place in Grinders Corner, a small town in Alabama.

Benjamin Church came home from war, to see nothing had changed. Benjamin had thought of being a mechanic. He had learned to repair almost anything mechanical during his time in the service. This is a time in history where the shift was from working for yourself to working for someone else. But, he knew he would be a farmer like his father and his father before him. He is a sharecroppers son and the world did not look kindly on blacks in 1946.

The landowner, Sylvester Crane, is a sorry excuse for a human being.

Benjamen’s dad struggles after the loss of his wife. Sometimes when a mate dies, the other person is not far behind. Do they lose their will to live?

Everything in Grinders Corner is the same for Benjamin, until he lays eyes on Delia.
church photo: Church 011_church.jpg
Delia is a preachers daughter. Her father heads the New Unity Church. She has a zest for life and it was love at first sight for Benjamin. I guess we can see where this is going. He courted her in the proper manner, with courtesy and respect. Ben’s love is strong, gentle and true.

The preacher had a holier than thou attitude and looked down his nose at Benjamin. He didn’t think Benjamin was good enough for his Delia. Don’t a lot of parents think that way, even if their child is grown? Our kids are always our kids and we want the best for them. On the other hand, as kids, our parents are our heroes.

“You made your bed, now lie in it.” Have you ever heard those words?

Bette’s descriptions of the simplest things brings the times and people to life, their sorrow and pain, their joy and happiness. I can picture Benjamin standing in front of the deputy with his weather beaten straw hat in hand and his eyes looking down at the floor.

Bette talks about the sun and heat of the south. If you have not experienced it, you will find it hard to feel the intensity of the suns rays as they beat down on you, the thickness of the muggy air as you struggle to draw breath and the fact that you are soaked to the skin shortly after stepping outside. The heat builds during the day and it is not unusual for there to be afternoon rain.

In the 1940s, bigotry and racial hatred was in your face. Go to the back door. For Whites Only. No Coloreds.

I know it’s coming and I ruefully wait for the hammer to fall. And it does. Tragically.

People sometimes find themselves not really living, just getting through. There is heartwrenching sorrow and despair. Overriding guilt. Life isn’t fair! Is the grass greener on the other side?

“It ain’t the preaching that makes a man godly, its the doing.”

tears photo c72fc8a1e4416e0159096ce3647a45b4.jpgI get to page 91 and tears form in my eyes, but I will not let them fall. SO SAD. We all handle grief and loss in our own way. I am reading through teary eyes, but I can’t stop. With Bette’s writing, I knew this would break my heart, but she will not leave me feeling lost. She will help me find my way. She will show me that people are more good than bad. They will give, even when they don’t have much of their own.

“I can’t be thinking of how much I lost, I gotta be thinking of how much I still got.”

Well, what can I say. I am pretty much teary eyed through the rest of the story.

“Sometimes life provided opportunities to reach out and make a difference, and when that happened a man worth his salt had to step up to the challenge.”

“Are we out brother’s keeper’s?”

The saying – It Takes A Village – answers that question.

“Folks don’t live in PERFECT, they just get to pass through every so often.” What a wonderful statement.

Amazing writing and it stuns me that this genre of book can affect me so deeply. I am more of the action, shoot ’em up, creatures chasing me variety.

Even though Bette’s books end happily, with a warm and comfortable feeling, there are bumps and jolts throughout. My feelings for Benjamin were anger and rage, sadness and despair, happiness and . He was a better person than I. He dealt with his responsibilities in an intelligent, loving and gentle way, sacrificing for others and doing the right thing. You can choose which you want to be – bigoted and angry or laughing and loving.

Very thought provoking and the book will stick with me long after reading it.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos5 Stars – Would Buy It For Them (lol)

I received a copy in return for an honest and unbiased review.

 

SYNOPSIS

It’s 1946. The war is over. Millions of American soldiers are coming home and Benjamin Church is one of them. After four years of being away he thought things in Alabama would have changed, but they haven’t. Grinder’s Corner is as it’s always been—a hardscrabble burp in the road. It’s not much, but it’s home.

When Benjamin attends a harvest festival in Twin Pines, he catches sight of Delia. Before their first dance ends, he knows for certain she’s the one. They fall madly in love; happily, impatiently, imprudently, in love. It doesn’t matter that her daddy is staunchly opposed to the thought of his daughter marrying a cotton farmer, never mind a poor one.

It’s true Benjamin has little to offer; he’s a sharecropper who will spend his whole life sweating and slaving to do little more than put food on the table. But that’s how things are in Alabama. Benjamin is better off than most; he has a wife, a boy he adores, and a house that doesn’t leak rain. Yes, Benjamin considers himself a lucky man until the fateful night that changes everything.

BetteAuthor Bette Lee Crosby

Award-winning novelist Bette Lee Crosby shares the storytelling charm of her Southern Mama in tales that are both heartrending and heartwarming. She is best known for her creation of characters that readers find unforgettable.

Passing through Perfect is Crosby’s tenth novel and the third book in the Wyattsville Series that began with the USA Today Bestseller Spare Change. Her work was first recognized in 2006 when she received The National League of American Pen Women Award for a then unpublished manuscript. Since then, she has gone on to win another twenty literary awards, including the Royal Palm Literary Award, the Reviewer’s Choice Award, the FPA President’s Book Award Gold Medal and the 2014 Reader’s Favorite Gold Medal.

Website * Facebook * Twitter

Grab your Amazon* copy below:

GIVEAWAY

Betty is offering an ebook copy of Spare Change, which is book #1 in the series- or Jubilee’s Journey, which is the story that really leads into Passing Through Perfect. International. Please leave your email and answer the question:

Who has been the most influential person in your life?

Giveaway from 1/29 – 2/2/15.

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

animated smilies photo: animated animated.gifLook on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for stopping by fundinmental!

Passing Through Perfect by Bette Lee Crosby ~ Giveaway

I am so happy to be able to share Bette Lee Crosby’s latest novel, Passing Through Perfect.

I love this beautiful cover.

I am a huge fan of Bette Lee’s and I am eager to continue my Wyattsville journey.

I hope you will join me.

add-to-goodreads-button

Passing through Perfect by Bette Lee Crosby

It’s 1946. The war is over. Millions of American soldiers are coming home and Benjamin Church is one of them. After four years of being away he thought things in Alabama would have changed, but they haven’t. Grinder’s Corner is as it’s always been—a hardscrabble burp in the road. It’s not much, but it’s home.

When Benjamin attends a harvest festival in Twin Pines, he catches sight of Delia. Before their first dance ends, he knows for certain she’s the one. They fall madly in love; happily, impatiently, imprudently, in love. It doesn’t matter that her daddy is staunchly opposed to the thought of his daughter marrying a cotton farmer, never mind a poor one.

It’s true Benjamin has little to offer; he’s a sharecropper who will spend his whole life sweating and slaving to do little more than put food on the table. But that’s how things are in Alabama. Benjamin is better off than most; he has a wife, a boy he adores, and a house that doesn’t leak rain. Yes, Benjamin considers himself a lucky man until the fateful night that changes everything.

Reviewer Praise

“Passing Through Perfect is not the kind of novel that excels in pat answers, simple characters, and calm progressive events – and this is evident from the first paragraph, which opens with a punch and keeps on emotionally slugging… Southern fiction writing at its best: spiritually infused, warm, and family-oriented…” Midwest Book Review, Diane Donovan’s Shelf

“A heartwarming tale that shows both the good and bad found in mankind… Highly Recommended to those who enjoy historical fiction.” Inspired Kathy, I am a Reader

“Author Bette Lee Crosby’s characters take on heartbreak and oppression with dignity, courage, and a shaken but strong faith in a better tomorrow” Indie Reader

An uplifting story of family, love, kindness and hope, despite some people’s less than commendable behavior and attitudes.” Between the Lines

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Kobo * iTunes

Excerpt

“When the heart of a man gets pulled loose he starts dying. I started dying a year ago, and I’m still working on it. I ain’t going all at once; I’m going piece by piece.”

“The sheriff recognized Benjamin. He’d done work for Missus Haledon, and he’d done a good job. He painted their back fence and repaired a broken window in the storage shed. He was blacker than most but known for being polite, unlike the smart-mouthed coloreds who lived on the far side of Bakerstown.”

“As he sat at the kitchen table and drank a glass of sweet tea with his daddy, her ghost slid in alongside of them. It was a sadness neither of them wanted to speak of.”

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BetteAuthor Bette Lee Crosby

Award-winning novelist Bette Lee Crosby shares the storytelling charm of her Southern Mama in tales that are both heartrending and heartwarming. She is best known for her creation of characters that readers find unforgettable.

Passing through Perfect is Crosby’s tenth novel and the third book in the Wyattsville Series that began with the USA Today Bestseller Spare Change. Her work was first recognized in 2006 when she received The National League of American Pen Women Award for a then unpublished manuscript. Since then, she has gone on to win another twenty literary awards, including the Royal Palm Literary Award, the Reviewer’s Choice Award, the FPA President’s Book Award Gold Medal and the 2014 Reader’s Favorite Gold Medal.

Website * Facebook * Twitter

50_Amazon_Paypal

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 2/6/15

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

animated smilies photo: animated animated.gifLook on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for stopping by fundinmental!